Higher Price Tag Causes Trustees to Rethink 'Events Pad'

The Whitefish Bay Village Board unanimously agreed Monday evening to defer voting on the lease of the “events pad” to Stein’s Gardens and Gifts until after discussing the possibility of setting up Stein’s Just Plants garden center without a concrete base.

The board approved construction on the median in the north Silver Spring parking lot near Beaumont Ave last month, then last week the Plan Commission advised the Village Board to move ahead move ahead with lease negotiations.

The trustees did not move forward with the commission's recommendation Monday night after learning the construction, which was slated to be completed in April 2012, would cost nearly $55,000 – $20,000 more than originally anticipated. The funds would come from the tax incremental finance district, which has a projected surplus of $90,000 for 2012.

Village Manager Patrick DeGrave said, with the initial estimate, two years of rent would be needed to justify construction costs. He said the new estimates have now pushed it to four years.

“We don’t even know if we’ll have Just Plants for more than one year,” said DeGrave.

He said the real money stream would have to come from Stein’s because the revenue generated from leasing the area to the farmer’s market and other civic groups would not be enough.  

DeGrave told the trustees that at some point the TIF would end. He asked if they would be willing to spend that money on what he called a “questionable payback,” rather than on road maintenance and other village projects.

Trustee Lauri Rollings agreed with DeGrave.

“Now I’m less enthusiastic than when costs were lower,” she said, “especially after seeing there are more beneficial uses [for the TIF money].”

However, trustee Jay Miller remained supportive. He said Stein’s is a respected company whose presence he would love to see in the village.

“I loathe turning away business,” he said.

It was trustee Kevin Buckley that asked if Stein’s really needed the concrete.  He questioned if Just Plants could operate just as well on grass, woodchips, or any other surface.

The estimated cost of the concrete for the pad is just over $24,000, which would make up around 45 percent of the project’s final cost.

“Talk to Stein’s and see if they insist on concrete,” agreed trustee Richard Foster.  “Then we’ll vote again.”

The trustees concurred with Foster, and Village President Julie Siegel said the board would vote on the project at a future meeting, regardless of Stein’s decision. She said an insistence on concrete would not necessarily be a deal breaker.